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Nintendo is probably leaving millions of dollars off their books not supporting PC

Neofire

Member
If I was a shareholder, I'd be all over Nintendo to start supporting the PC platform.

Can you imagine a game like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom releasing on PC? Mind boggling.

Have they commented previously about why they don't support PC?

It's hard to process the money they're missing out on.
I see what you are doing lol, I've been seeing this play book brewing for a while now so that the PC users would bring their preferred platform full circle. First shame Sony by saying they are leaving money on the table by not porting their games to PC and now Nintendo but it isn't going to work.

If anything Nintendo would havevthe greatest to lose by doing this. It would decimate their platform sales and ramp up piracy seeing how easy their games can be ran on PC and no PC port will ever sell nowhere near the copies it does on the switch. In my opinion it holds no benefit that outweighs the negatives to doing this outside of PC gamers saying "welp now we don't need any console because everything is coming to the PC natively"
 
If I was a shareholder, I'd be all over Nintendo to start supporting the PC platform.

Can you imagine a game like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom releasing on PC? Mind boggling.

Have they commented previously about why they don't support PC?

It's hard to process the money they're missing out on.

The final stage...

Planet Of The Apes Laughing GIF
 

Daniel Thomas MacInnes

GAF's Resident Saturn Omnibus
I remember when people were saying the same thing about Nintendo putting games on iOS and Android.

You must understand that this idea directly violates the Yamauchi Rule, one of the iron-clad rules of videogames. This rule, simply stated: "A videogames console is nothing more than a box that you need to play Mario." That is the foundation of Nintendo's business model. They made a game called Super Mario. You want to play it? Then buy this box. Will Mario play on one of the other boxes from rival brands? No. You can only play it on Nintendo's box.

For those too young to remember, Nintendo was once a third-party software company in the 2nd Generation era: Atari, Mattel, Coleco, Commodore, the whole lot. They learned the value of protecting their brand, and how that brand becomes diluted when spread across multiple platforms. With their own box (Famicom/NES), they could tightly control the software output, preventing another industry crash, and also profit from third-party license fees and royalties, as well as manufacturing all the cartridges for their platform--which is where Nintendo REALLY made their money.

Again, the Short-Short Version: Nintendo on PC ain't gonna happen. Ever.


PS: There are three Holy Rules of Videogames, which are as follows: the Bushnell Rule ("A videogame should be easy to learn, hard to master"), the Yamauchi Rule ("A games console is nothing more than a box"), and the Kalinske Rule ("To succeed, that box must sell at the mass-market price").
 
Nintendo's biggest asset is BRAND. You never trade on the value of your brand. This is textbook rule number one of every Marketing/MBA program.

Deserved or not, Nintendo has earned a position by playing a different game from the others. That's why they have the best profits in the industry. Releasing games on PC would mark the beginning of their downfall.
 

daclynk

Member
I remember when people were saying the same thing about Nintendo putting games on iOS and Android.

You must understand that this idea directly violates the Yamauchi Rule, one of the iron-clad rules of videogames. This rule, simply stated: "A videogames console is nothing more than a box that you need to play Mario." That is the foundation of Nintendo's business model. They made a game called Super Mario. You want to play it? Then buy this box. Will Mario play on one of the other boxes from rival brands? No. You can only play it on Nintendo's box.

For those too young to remember, Nintendo was once a third-party software company in the 2nd Generation era: Atari, Mattel, Coleco, Commodore, the whole lot. They learned the value of protecting their brand, and how that brand becomes diluted when spread across multiple platforms. With their own box (Famicom/NES), they could tightly control the software output, preventing another industry crash, and also profit from third-party license fees and royalties, as well as manufacturing all the cartridges for their platform--which is where Nintendo REALLY made their money.

Again, the Short-Short Version: Nintendo on PC ain't gonna happen. Ever.


PS: There are three Holy Rules of Videogames, which are as follows: the Bushnell Rule ("A videogame should be easy to learn, hard to master"), the Yamauchi Rule ("A games console is nothing more than a box"), and the Kalinske Rule ("To succeed, that box must sell at the mass-market price").
The Office Thank You GIF
 

stevish

Member
I can see them release previous generations on PC (NES, GB, SNES etc) some day and either sell them piecemeal or subscription like the switch, with a price premium.

I think a lot of people would buy just to have them in their catalog.

Saying that, they don't really need to do anything at the moment. They have built themselves a pretty tight org. If they were in GC times they may look to it more.
 

Killjoy-NL

Member
You have to accept that just because you want something, doesn’t mean that a business should do it.

There are many old games I would love to have readily available. However, Nintendo’s strategy of timely rereleases is better than putting it all out at once.

A rerelease can ease a dry spell. A good example of this is Wind Waker on the Wii U. Or it can pad an otherwise sparse time, like Mario RPG or Metroid Prime. Most importantly, it sustains interest, like when Earthbound and Mother were released on NSO.

From a manufacturers perspective, you either sustain interest, or you release it all for a large initial win, but with diminishing returns over time.
People forget that these companies are running businesses, not charity.

The vast majority of Gaf would run a business right into the ground.
 

Red5

Member
If Nintendo launch their own Nintendo storefront on PC, they would get 100% revenue without even subsidizing hardware, if they're still doing that.
 

Celine

Member
Unlike many investors, Nintendo has a firm understanding on the core principles of their business and why they are so profitable.

You must understand that this idea directly violates the Yamauchi Rule, one of the iron-clad rules of videogames. This rule, simply stated: "A videogames console is nothing more than a box that you need to play Mario." That is the foundation of Nintendo's business model. They made a game called Super Mario. You want to play it? Then buy this box. Will Mario play on one of the other boxes from rival brands? No. You can only play it on Nintendo's box.
If there one rule on which Hiroshi Yamauchi has nurtured Nintendo's DNA and for which later Nintendo's CEOs publically oath they will pursue it is “dokusou” (独創) which means ‘creating something unique’.
To pursue “dokusou” Nintendo leverages their special hardware/software integration to create novel fun experiences.

A very condensed description of Nintendo's DNA can be found in the President message to shareholders on Nintendo website (note that the base concepts were formed under Hiroshi Yamauchi and preserved by the various subsequent CEOs Iwata, Kimishima and Furukawa):


To shareholders and investors:

As an entertainment company that creates smiles, we aim to offer our unique and original brand of play that anyone and everyone can intuitively enjoy. To enable unique entertainment experiences, we place our dedicated video game platform business – integrating both hardware and software – at the center of everything we do. We understand that all entertainment eventually loses its appeal, so we continually work to provide new and original products and services for people everywhere.

With our dedicated video game platform business, we express the appeal and value of Nintendo Switch – paired with unique game offerings like the Super Mario titles – as an experience that can be enjoyed anytime, anywhere, and with anyone.

To continue growing our core business, our fundamental strategy is to expand the number of people who have access to Nintendo IP. To this end, we seek to broaden the touch points of Nintendo IP with consumers in areas beyond dedicated video game platforms. This includes applications for smart devices, which are ubiquitous throughout the world, as well as visual content, theme parks, and character-based merchandise.

In addition, we work to develop a long-term relationship with each of our consumers, with Nintendo Account as the connection that spans platform generations and unites a variety of entertainment experiences, centered on our integrated hardware-software entertainment.

Based on our belief that the true value of entertainment lies in its uniqueness, Nintendo will strive to increase our corporate value by offering unique entertainment that plays to the company’s strengths, continuing to adapt to the times and cherish the spirit of creativity.

We humbly ask you, our shareholders and investors, for your continued support.

------

Here a few Yamauchi's remarks about the possibility of Nintendo developing console games for non-Nintendo platforms from an interview conducted in late 2000/early 2001:

Q: Several software houses have undertaken a multi-platform strategy - signing agreements with Nintendo and others to become licensees for several different game systems. Do you think this will have a rejuvenating effect on the industry?

Y: Well, let's say that we make a game called X and we port it to game systems from Company A, Company B and Company C. Then it doesn't matter if a user bought A's, B's or C's system, he'll be able to play game X on his own console. There's no difference between any of the game systems in this case.
Now I certainly understand the reasoning behind a multi-platform strategy. As I said before, development costs have spiralled upward, and it's become difficult to guage how well something will sell in the marketplace. They want to cut their risks and be able to sell that many more copies of a single title, so they decide to just release it on everything. I can understand that.
However, if this becomes the norm, then it'll have a dire effect on the marketplace. If users can play the same game on every single system out there, then there'll be no reason to buy one system over the other. It'll be just like buying a TV; no matter which one you buy you'll still have all the same channels. In the game business, software is our lifeblood. If that software becomes the same everywhere then there'll be zero difference between companies. The marketplace will just turn into a giant hardware war.
Now, you'll agree with me that TV sets are a fairly indispensible part of life these days. More people have them then don't. Washing machines and refrigerators are the same way. People have to buy them no matter what, so dealers end up relying on added extra features and advertising to compete in the marketplace. On the other hand, game machines are far from indispensible. If the software was the same no matter which system you buy, then the only point we'd be able to sell on is price. This industry is based on producing fun, innovative games, but if that goes away then we're all done for. That's why, even though I understand where software houses are coming from, I think ultimately it could break apart the industry.

Q: That's why you continue to produce games only for your own systems, including the upcoming Gamecube.

Y: Yes. Nintendo's business is to make games that can only be played on Nintendo systems. Nintendo's games only run on Nintendo's consoles, and no one else's. Our aim is to get people to think Nintendo's games are the greatest, the best in the world.
We're devoting all of our effort to that right now, and we'll be able to show our efforts to the world this year. We'll see how it turns out after the Christmas season, or about ten or eleven months from now.

Q: What do you think is an appropriate price point for game systems?

Y: The cheaper, the better. Gamers play games, and not systems, after all. If a gamer wants to play game A and game B, then buying the game system is nothing but a secondary obstacle to that. As a result, the cheaper the hardware is, the easier it is for the users to buy it.
At the same time, though, we have to worry about our costs. Up until fairly recently it was safe to lose money on hardware sales, since you more than made up for it in the software you sold. It's impossible to get a system out the door that way anymore, however. So when you release a system today, you don't necessarily have to profit from it, but you can't afford to lose money on every single console you sell.
 
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If I was a shareholder, I'd be all over Nintendo to start supporting the PC platform.

Can you imagine a game like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom releasing on PC? Mind boggling.

Have they commented previously about why they don't support PC?

It's hard to process the money they're missing out on.

Super Portbegging Bros. ULTIMATE!!

If I was an investor, I'd be all over Valve to start supporting the console platforms.

Can you imagine a game like DOTA 2 or CounterStrike 2 releasing on PS5, or the Switch 2? Mind boggling.

Have they commented previously about why they don't support consoles?

It's hard to process the money they're missing out on.
 
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